Intelligent translators can manage to work with the editors to naturally schedule a vacation at a chosen time within a year. They do not procrastinate or go beyond their deadlines, and all of their translations come in like clockwork. Intelligent translators are the gems of the industry. How I hate them.

I, on the other hand, am terrible about estimating when I can finish a project, and just as terrible at resisting the lure of time off for a day or two after having sent in a script. And this Summer, even though I knew my annual pilgrimage to the San Diego Comic Con was coming up, I went ahead and scheduled July full anyway. (Bad Bill. Bad, bad Bill!)

So now I have to finish what I would normally finish in three weeks, in just slightly over one. And there's no way to put it off. I know how long it usually take me to do a page in this series, and I'm just going to have to take the time to do it. Get up in the morning, work through until late at night, and go to bed. Get up and do it again.

But we work in a deadline-driven business. (Thank the gods it isn't a daily deadline.) That means that when the time comes, there are going to be working weekends, late hours, and a tired you. Normally, you'll be fine, but every now and again...

Here's the deal. You're on a deadline, and if you get your stuff in late, you're putting the entire process behind schedule. At the same time, you only get paid for the scripts that you turn in, so if you need to pay rent, you'd better get the work in. And finally, vacations are wonderful things, and they're well worth the extra sweat that comes before them!

Okay, back to the march.